Anthropology and Gender Identity (split from Jordan Peterson's ideas on politics)

[TheVat]

I would be interested in a thread on anthropology and gender identity.  How have other cultures approached it,  what options existed for the mismatched or nonbinary before surgical or endocrine interventions were available, are there modern cultures where gender fluidity is easier,  are there cultures where just a wardrobe change satisfies all parties, etc.   (sorry,  I realize I have probably suggested several threads right there) 

Just as economists benefit when anthropologists go out and study credit and debt in other societies,  so too could psychologists benefit when anthropologists go where gender norms are different.  We often get boxed into disciplines where it is easy to forget the vast range of possible human cultures and social norms.  

 

[StringJunky]

19 hours ago, TheVat said:

I would be interested in a thread on anthropology and gender identity.  How have other cultures approached it,  what options existed for the mismatched or nonbinary before surgical or endocrine interventions were available, are there modern cultures where gender fluidity is easier,  are there cultures where just a wardrobe change satisfies all parties, etc.   (sorry,  I realize I have probably suggested several threads right there) 

Just as economists benefit when anthropologists go out and study credit and debt in other societies,  so too could psychologists benefit when anthropologists go where gender norms are different.  We often get boxed into disciplines where it is easy to forget the vast range of possible human cultures and social norms.  

 

Yes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijra_(South_Asia)

Quote

In the Indian subcontinent, Hijra[n 1] are eunuchs, intersex people, asexual or transgender people.[1][2] Also known as Aravani, Aruvani, Jogappa,[3] the hijra community in India prefer to call themselves Kinnar or Kinner, referring to the mythological beings that excel at song and dance. In Pakistan, they are also called Khawaja Sira, the equivalent of transgender in the Urdu language.[4]

Hijras are officially recognized as third gender in the Indian subcontinent,[5][6][7] being considered neither completely male nor female. Hijras have a recorded history in the Indian subcontinent since antiquity, as suggested by the Kama Sutra.

Many live in well-defined and organised all-hijra communities, led by a guru.[8] These communities have consisted over generations of those who are in abject poverty or who have been rejected by or fled their family of origin.[9] Many work as sex workers for survival.[10]

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by StringJunky

[Peterkin]

Quote

All of this media attention leads many to believe that this new phenomenon of “being transgender” is a passing fad, that we’re giving too much attention to a new group of people that have just popped up. The only problem with this thinking? Transgender people have been around throughout all of human history!

in an article from ACLU Ohio

references this interesting map from PBS. A lot more than just interesting, actually: it's a well-compressed education on the subject of diverse social attitudes.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by Peterkin
unfinished sentence

[CharonY]

An interesting cultural practice in which gender expression is decoupled from sexual identity is that of Albanian sworn virgins.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_sworn_virgins

Women are taking chastity vows and are considered to be men going forward. This particular fad has been around for about 500 years.

[TheVat]

Not neglecting the thread I suggested, things just got busy at the Vat household for a couple days.  Still catching up on the readings posted.  Things do not sound too good for the Hijra in India.  Having to be a "sex worker" to survive suggests the kind of limited options usually associated with the term slavery. 

[Peterkin]

Remember that the caste mentality goes very deep in India. If you're one of an unvalued or unwanted group, you take what you can get.